Angela Braly, CEO of the Indianapolis-based health insurance company, received total compensation of nearly $13.3 million, down 1.5 percent from the $13.5 million she made the previous year.

Shareholders of WellPoint Inc. approved on Tuesday the hefty pay packages of the company’s executives and voted for the right to weigh in annually on future executive compensation.

When WellPoint Inc. named Angela Braly its CEO three years ago, it touted her experience dealing with politicians and government regulators. But WellPoint is now the poster child for health insurer bad behavior—credited in Washington with reviving a dead health reform bill the company opposed.

Wellpoint CEO Angela Braly was criticized by President Obama on national television. She incurred the wrath of health insurance policyholders in California and Indiana. She reignited debate on the moribund national health care reform bill. A woman hasn’t caused this much turmoil since all those ships were launched by Helen of Troy.

Amid attacks from Democrats over high executive salaries, Angela Braly testified in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday that big insurance-premium increases are the result of growing price tags for hospital care and pharmaceuticals.

Larry Glasscock will step down March 1 as WellPoint CEO Angela Braly takes over leadership of the company's board. She replaced Glasscock as CEO on June 1, 2007.

There are no longer any for-profit Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans for WellPoint Inc. to acquire as a means of growth. State governments have effectively stopped those plans from converting to for-profits. That means new CEO Angela F. Braly can't keep WellPoint growing by gobbling up competitors.